SUNDAY- 16^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –B

Christ The Good Shepherd

I Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6: The remnant of my flock I will gather and I will raise up shepherds to look after them.

II Reading: Ephesians 2:13-18: Christ Jesus is the Peace between us, and made the two into one.

Gospel: Mark 6:30-34: They were like sheep without a shepherd.

Today we celebrate the Shepherd who leads all people to the Father, however far apart they may be in race or culture.

The first reading talks about the social and moral fibre of the country  was rotten. The leaders who are called shepherds (both civil and religious) will be removed; God will regather his people under a real king in place of weak rulers of Jeremiah’s day about 600 B.C. Jeremiah announces an extraordinary shepherd to come. The prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled in Jesus.

The Psalm 22 is the image of the good shepherd, the writer, traditionally said to be David, projects all the qualities of the keeper of sheep on the hill side. The Psalm ends with  a feeling of security prompted by the divine shepherd. All we like sheep we gone astray and we find in this psalm the Great Shepherd who gently leads the lost back to the fold.

With unity as the theme of the second reading, Paul deals with the reconciliation of Jew and Pagan in Christ to form a “single new man.” “The barrier” refers to the fence which marked the limit to which pagans might go in the Temple.

In the gospel reading we listened, none of the Evangelists records any comment by Jesus on what the disciples had done during their mission. Jesus was more concerned that their spiritual resources  had been depleted and that a retreat was necessary. But it was not to be. The crowd gathered and he saw them as sheep without a shepherd, their needs came first and with great compassion he ministered to them with extensive teaching. By giving the Holy Spirit to everyone, Jesus wiped away all distinctions among people. First, Jesus brought peace with his Father and secondly, Jesus brought peace among all people. The fact of belonging to Jesus’ flock imposes a serious obligation on shepherds and sheep alike: to maintain peace and unity with the Christian community. What kind of Christians are we today?

Today the church and the life of our Christian communities depend to a very large extent on the quality of our spiritual leaders and leaders of our country. Today’s message is as follows:

1. Spiritual leaders or shepherds should have more concern  about the needs of their flock at all time.

2. They should be the messengers of love, joy, peace, reconciliation, compassion, caring and unity for their faithful.

3. The church or the Christian communities in turn should have one aim in view: to maintain all costs union with the community.

The Need for Rest and Its Dangers, Mk 6:30-34

Every person needs rest, relaxation, and time alone with God. However, when the believer is seeking to rest, he must know there are some serious dangers that confront him. This passage shows three of the dangers.

1.    The disciples returned from their mission (v.30): reported what they had done and taught.

2.    Danger 1: not taking time to rest (v.31-32)

a.    The disciples worked long and hard

b.    The disciples were pressed by the crowds

c.     The disciples left to rest

3.    Danger 2: taking too much time to rest when people are seeking help (v.33)

4.    Danger 3: losing sight of people who are as sheep without a shepherd (v.34)

a.    Jesus saw and had compassion

b.    Jesus began to teach

Thought: Believers are accountable both for how they live and for what they teach. They are to be obedient to Christ’s teachings. Every disciple is held accountable to God (2Cor 5:10; Heb 13:17)

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